Rennie leaned forward and focused on Bowie, moving her eyes up and down. Brooklyn felt a twinge of jealousy, but she knew better. “The years have been kind to you, Holmes. You’ve got this ruggedly handsome thing going for yourself. You’re muscular in all the right places but still look like a teddy bear. You remind me of my cousin. He’s a lumberjack, and all the women fawn over him.”
“How very Paul Bunyan of him.” Bowie’s reply didn’t make much sense to her, and by the look on Rennie’s face, it confused her as well.
When the waitress walked by, Graham got her attention and ordered a round of drinks and one of everything from the menu.
“There’s only four of us,” Brooklyn pointed out.
“I’m sure others will join us,” Graham stated. He and Bowie started talking, but Brooklyn tuned them out. She watched the door instead, wondering who would be next to walk in. Grady, Jason, Mila? Other classmates who she wasn’t as close to but had been friendly with until she moved away? As she thought about it, seeing Monroe wouldn’t be so bad. They could catch up, and Brooklyn could apologize for her erratic behavior at the grocery store the other day.
She continued to zone out while Bowie, Graham, and Rennie chatted away. Rennie had told her she was excited to catch up with Graham but also that Brooklyn needed to make peace with Bowie. He was once her best friend, and they both were still hurting over Austin’s death. Over the years, Brooklyn had thought about Bowie, curious as to what he was up to. Was he married, and did he have children? She had missed their friendship, being able to talk to him about life, and wished she could have gone back in time and picked up the phone when she went back to her parents’ house. She’d tell him about her pregnancy and ask him to go away with her. Their lives could’ve been different if she had just reached out to him.
The door opened, and in walked Monroe. Her eyes drifted over the patrons at the bar, almost as if she was looking for someone. Brooklyn stood and went to her. Monroe gasped and smiled softly.
“I want to apologize for my behavior in the store the other day. I was out of sorts and wasn’t expecting anyone to notice me. I was unkind to you, when you’ve been nothing but a dear friend to me.”
Monroe pulled Brooklyn into a hug. The women squeezed each other tightly, and when they parted, both had tears in their eyes. Brooklyn motioned toward the table. “Rennie’s here, if you’d like to join us.”
“I’d love that.”
“It’s almost as if the gang’s back together,” Monroe stated as she sat and looked around the table. “Jason will be here for the memorial, and I’m sure Mila will find her way back into town.”
“And Grady?” Brooklyn asked. She hadn’t meant to contribute to the conversation since she felt like she had nothing useful to add or say. “I haven’t seen him yet. Does he still operate Chamberwoods?”
“Wow, Carly doesn’t tell you much, does she?” Bowie smirked. He shook his head and brought his pint up to his mouth, only to pull it away before taking a sip. “Let me guess—you don’t talk about Cape Harbor.” He acted hostile toward Brooklyn but kept his thigh pressed to hers and angled his body toward her when he was speaking. If he hated her so much, why touch her? Why flirt? Why sit next to her? There was plenty of space where either of them could move, but he had chosen to be next to her, and it was starting to feel like torture. Even with his pent-up anger coming in spurts, she didn’t want him to move. She liked having him next to her, and that bothered her greatly.
“We don’t,” Brooklyn said sharply. “And before you or any of the rest of you go throwing stones, you should remind yourself of how many times you visited Austin’s mom. I, at least, spoke with her.” Although their communication was strictly mundane or regarding Brystol and nothing more, and for that, Brooklyn hated herself. She had let Austin down, even when it wasn’t her responsibility. He had made that perfectly clear.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry for my outburst. Since I came back, a lot of things have been brought to light.”
Graham reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Grady’s around. He’s not in the best of shape, and he pretty much lives in the past.”
“I’m so sorry.” Brooklyn gave him a sad smile as her heart broke. That day, the day Austin took his boat out when he shouldn’t have, had changed the lives of everyone around him.
The waitress finally brought out the appetizers they had ordered and a stack of plates. She returned quickly with a round of shots and beer chasers. Brooklyn’s stomach growled and filled with dread at the same time. She was starving and had always loved the pub food from the Whale Spout. Drinking, not so much. Drinking led to loose lips, and loose lips led to revelations that needed to be kept locked away . . . locked tightly away and buried at the bottom of the ocean.